Do you ever wake up and get the feeling that the day ahead will be nothing short of mind-blowing?
Yeah me either.
But there was that one time I woke up in the early morning to the sound of an elephant 5 feet from my tent. I was petrified. It sounded like a monster was breathing right on top of the tent, I could hear the giant lungs inhaling and exhaling. I didn't move an inch, despite the fact that the animal could've easily crushed me if it took one or two steps closer.
That's when I remembered the sign posted at the entrance of the campsite:
Do not leave the premise of the camp, wildlife is dangerous and may attack.
Later that morning during breakfast, the other people in my group told stories of lions walking among the tents at night, and I found myself wondering which would be a better way to die, getting mauled by a lion or crushed by an unsuspecting elephant...
I still haven't decided.
We left our first campsite and began our drive to the Serengeti. I was hoping to see at least one lion and maybe I'd be lucky enough to see a hyena or ostrich. I knew that when dealing with wildlife and nature in general there are no guarantees. I didn't have particularly high hopes for much action besides seeing a bunch of zebras and wildebeests grazing like they always do.
It all started about 15 minutes after entering the borders of the Serengeti. The grasslands stretched for miles in every direction- it actually reminded me of my home state Indiana- except when we came across a massive boulder that stood about 20 feet tall just off the side of the road, we saw something that isn't native to Indiana- there was a female lion napping on top. It was hard for me to keep my composure and not embarrass myself by saying "It's just like the Lion King!" We noticed a group of gazelles hanging out near to the giant rock, giving the lion the perfect vantage point for an attack. Too bad for us though, it was mid-day and this lady predator was too hot for any type of action, she just continued to nap, the most action we saw from her was the occasional flick of her tail.
Our guide knows this isn't the time for a hunt, he assures us that there will be more to see up ahead.
We pass a hyena and I'm thinking this is the "more to see up ahead" so I call it out, hoping for our guide to stop for a longer look, but he just says "Oh, we'll see plenty more of those." We continue on- "Trust the guide Heidi, he knows more about this place then you do." I learned that when you see multiple hyenas, like 4 or 5 walking or running together, that's when they are probably stalking prey or are on the scent of a recent kill.
A bit further down the road we spot three ostriches. Two female and one male, all of which are making very strange movements, squatting way down to the ground while their wings are spread, bobbing their heads up and down, walking back and forth. It kind of looks like they've had too much to drink. This is how they dance, to defend their territory or to attract a mate.
By now the sun was starting to set and we had to get to the second campsite before dark so we could set up the tents.
We pass more wildebeests and zebras, then we spot African buffalos who lift their heads from munching on grass and give our truck a nice stare. Their horns kind of remind me of Vikings' helmets, they cover almost their entire head with thick, heavy protection and the horns of some are broken off, evidence of a deadly battle I'm sure. These bovines are far from similar to the cows and bulls back home. I can't help but imagine how many times they've had to battle each other, how many times they've had to run from or defend against a lion attack. Many have deep scars and intimidating eyes.
For me it was impossible not to let my mind wander into hypothetical situations. This is what life would be like for every animal if humans didn't rule the planet. I always came to the obvious conclusion that any person who isn't a part of a Masi tribe wouldn't last long out here. This is real, this is raw, this is unforgiving. There is so much life here, and death is very much a part of that. It's the good old circle of life, we're all familiar with the concept, but to see this in person, to make eye contact with an animal whose life is to survive every day...
